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Dell posts customised Chromium OS for Mini 10v netbook

Dell Technology Strategist Doug Anson has announced that, after "doing some tinkering", he has gotten Dell's Mini 10v netbook working with Google's Chromium OS, the open source branch of the Chrome OS. In a post on the Direct2Dell Blog, Anson says that "Without a network connection, Chromium OS is not very interesting. With a network connection, Chromium OS shines."

According to Anson, by default, the built-in Broadcom Wi-Fi adapter used in the Mini 10v's doesn't work with the Chromium OS, but he has got it working. He also notes that "it's definitely not perfect", saying that it is still considered to be "highly experimental, untested, unstable, yada yada.." but "does appear to function". There are a few caveats. For example, "It will take more than 5-10 *minutes* for the ChromiumOS network connection manager to "see" the access points and allow you to select and connect", and users will need access to another Linux machine to utilize the "dd" command to move the image onto the USB drive.

The Chromium OS 7.5 GB USB image for Dell's Mini 10v is available to download from linux.dell.com. Anson says he has posted a summary of what he had to do to get the Wi-Fi system to the current state on the Chromium OS development forum.